Free Guy (2021) Review

 "Don't have a good day, have a great day!"
-Guy



Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is an average guy who works at a bank in an extremely violent city, which never really fazes him.  One day he learns that his is an NPC in an online video game.  With his game facing deletion, Guy decides to save his city by being the best guy he can be.


What Works:

Free Guy is a movie that wouldn't work with most actors in the lead role.  Ryan Reynolds is one of the few who could pull this one off.  Guy is so likable and optimistic and that makes him incredibly easy to root for.  He's a shockingly wholesome character and gives the movie a lot of whimsy.  Reynolds' charm is infectious and he makes the movie a blast to watch.

Taika Waititi plays the film's villain, Antwan.  Antwan is a pretty one-dimensional character and most actors wouldn't be able to elevate him to much more.  Waititi is perfect in the role thanks to his odd mannerism and general douchey behavior.  Just as Reynolds makes Guy easy to love, Waititi makes Antwan easy to hate.

The action sequences are a blast and are very reminiscent of Ready Player One, just with a vastly different tone.  It helps that Guy is full of wonderment the entire time, which makes the awesome sequences even more fun to watch.

There are quiet a few cameos of both people and items from other media.  It's always a tricky tightrope to watch when putting this kind of stuff in your movie.  On one end, you can get something awesome, like Ready Player One, but you can also go the other way with Space Jam: A New Legacy.  Free Guy ends up being much closer to Ready Player One because it sprinkles in these appearances and doesn't rely on them.  It also has a purpose for them being there.  They serve the story.  

Finally, I think what I like most about these movie is that it feels so fresh.  Sure, it takes influences from movies like Ready Player One, The Matrix, and The Truman Show, but it takes these influences, gives them a different tone, and really makes them its own thing.  It's not a 100% original movie, but it feels like one and that's the important thing.


What Sucks:

I really only have minor nitpicks when it comes to this movie.  Like I would have liked a little more development of the game itself.  It doesn't really set up the stakes.  What happens when a character, not an NPC, dies in the game?  Do they lose equipment or levels of experience?  Stuff like that.  The movie could have been a little more fleshed out, but again, minor criticism.


Verdict:

Free Guy is an absolute blast and one of the best movies of the year.  Reynolds and Waititi are perfect, the action and tone are a ton of fun, and the references to other media work well.  This movie has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 


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